1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fittings which can be readily attached stationary to a rope, and readily relocated along the rope when desired. Such fittings being useful for various purposes including for use in anchoring a rope to a relatively stationary item.
2. Brief Description of the Related Prior Art
The most relevant prior art to the present invention, of which I am aware, is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,652 issued Nov. 4, 1997 to S. D. Brody and R. W. Selby for ADJUSTABLE TIE-DOWN STRETCH CORD. While the Brody et al rope fitting used with the stretch cord includes similarities to the present invention, the Brody et al rope fitting, among other differences, does not become generally more secure in its attachment to a rope with increasing load applied to the rope. With the Brody et al tubular body with V-shaped pinch groove used to pinch a rope and secure the tubular body to the rope, tension applied to the rope in a typical loading fashion can and occasionally does cause the rope to slip from the pinch groove resulting in the tubular body (fitting) no longer being secured stationary to the rope. The Brody et al rope fitting as shown and described is structured for allowing a free end of a rope to be passed through a central opening of the tubular body and to then have a portion of the rope grasped by hand and pulled firmly upward and rearward into the V-shaped pinch groove, the pulling of the rope into the pinch groove intended to pinch, i.e., frictionally bind the rope therein to secure the fitting stationary to the rope. However, with this prior art embodiment, the free end of the rope must always be grasped by hand and pulled very firmly upward and rearward into the V-shaped pinch groove to secure the rope, such pulling being difficult for some people due to the high strength requirement, and if not pulled upon with enough force, the rope will not be sufficiently pinched, i.e., frictionally bound in the pinch groove, and will slip from the V-shaped pinch groove with applied load to the rope, and thus the rope will slide through the fitting. Additionally, it should be noted that the load applied to the rope during use of the Brody et al fitting is typically generally in a direction which attempts to pull the free end of the rope back through the tubular body, a pulling direction and force which attempts to and can pull the rope from the V-shaped pinch groove, and this is due primarily to insufficient curvature in the rope at the fitting, the only slight curvature in the rope at the pinch groove being basically only defined by the pinch groove. Thus, with the Brody et al rope fitting, the typical and expected load applied to the rope during use is one which is constantly applying a force to cause the fitting to slip on the rope, with this problem in the Brody et al fitting being a significant problem. Another problem with insufficient curvature in the rope and total reliance on the pinch groove for holding the rope in the Brody et al fitting is that the fitting functions best with rubber or elastic type "soft" rope, and does not function well with other types of ropes such as common multi-strand or braided rope such as that made of nylon, other plastics, natural fibers or the like, or metal cable.